Welcome to the family
by Ravensoul93
Summary: "We need to talk." Those were the words that sealed my fate. – Sometimes life is strange. But those words were the reason I was heading to Santa Carla, in search for someone I didn't even know of so long ago. Nothing could have prepared me for what I found myself thrown into, had I known I might have never come here. Or would I still have come?
1. Becoming a pack

**AN: This chapter is more of an attempt on my side to get a bit of an impression where the boys come from in my opinion. I don't know if the idea is perfect but there are to few stories where we really get any background on our favourite vampires.**

**I do not own any of the Lost Boys characters or any of the original plot, if I did they would still be alive ;)**

* * *

Santa Carla – 2009

Four dark figures sat on their motorcycles, excitedly looking down on the 'the murder capital of the world'. It was dark and raining, an almost perfect and poetic entrance.

"Welcome home boys." David smiled while Marko and Paul started laughing. They had been gone, for how long? A little over twenty years. The platinum blond vampire looked to the left at his second in command.

"It looks just like the day we left. As if nothing has changed." Dwayne continued to stare down at the illuminated boardwalk. It was strange coming back to the place they left in order to keep the peace. After the Emersons joined the pack things had gotten tense. So they left.

"Yeah. Wonder if the chicks are still as easy as back in the day." Paul cackled and was soon joined by Marko. David looked back at the city that had been their home for so long, distantly registering that Dwayne had put an end to the other boys fooling around.

"What are you thinking about?" Dwayne could feel some form of sentiment through their bond.

"I don't know why. But coming back here makes me think of when I first joined the pack. When I gave up my humanity." Marko and Paul fell silent for once. They were not used to their leader being sentimental or anything near sharing as he was now.

David's thoughts drifted to a past that would have seemed so far away if he was still human.

* * *

_Niagara Falls, Ontario – July 1814_

_So this was it. The moment he would give his life for his country. David had joined the army only a year prior to the beginning of the battle of 1812. It hadn't been that long that they had fought for Independence from Britain, but still they were fighting against the British lot._

_He started coughing and looked up at the night sky. The stars seemed clouded and distant, so far away now that he was lying here between bodies known and unknown._

_First he had hoped they would find him but that hope left him, he was drifting in and out of consciousness. He could feel his lungs fill with blood, the slow and agonizing feeling of drowning in his own body._

_A dark silhouette leaned over him completely blocking the moons' light. Coughing he tried to raise his hand to the tall figure towering above him, but there was no more strength left._

_"Well boy. I must say, to see your shattered form is a disappointment. I could hear your heartbeat all across the battlefield and expected something more than a boy left to die. Still… I can feel your heart battling against the inevitable even now that your lungs are filling with your very essence. Tell me, would you want to live on? Do you want me to save you?"_

_David looked up at the man whose face had changed into something monstrous. But he wasn't afraid of him, he was afraid of vanishing into oblivion as if he had never existed. Trying to speak, the only noise coming from his throat was some gurgle and the first blood began to flood his mouth._

_"Show me some of that fight, boy! And I shall make you like me." The mans' voice was loud and seemed to resonate in his head. With everything he had left, he struggled to move until he finally managed to lift his arm a few inches. This seemed to be all that was needed to seal his fate. The man lunged forward, fangs bared and went straight for his throat, draining all the blood blocking his windpipe._

_"Drink, child. And live." Without thinking he swallowed down what tasted like blood, he would do anything not to die._

* * *

"Hmm. I haven't thought about that in ages. I can barely remember being human." Dwayne seemed to drift off a little just as David had seconds before.

"I don't have much to remember. Dropped out of school, got cast out by my family for being the black sheep and would have probably died from overdosing if you guys hadn't found me." Paul chuckled despite the ill feeling in his guts. Being human wasn't something he liked to remember.

* * *

_New York City – 1940_

_He was desperately searching his few belongings. There had to be some left, he didn't take all of it last night. Had somebody stolen it? And his weed was gone too. Fuck! He quickly searched his pockets finding some dollar bills and quickly calculating. It should be about enough to get high tonight. To blend out the nagging thoughts about his disapproving family and how all had went to shit after trusting the wrong people._

_He went to the pier, down near the old fish market, where he knew his guy would be waiting for the usual customers. It was quick business as usual. He would walk by, place the money in the guys' hand and get a small sachet with some heroin._

_Back in his hideout he quickly heated up the substance. His hands were already shaking when the needle pierced his skin._

_He was flooded with relieve as the drug kicked in and made the world more blurry and bearable once more. It took him a couple of minutes to realize something was wrong. The burning in his arm didn't stop. It spread out and he soon felt like his veins were on fire._

_"What the hell did this scumbag sell me?!" He screamed, both furious and in pain. He felt his legs give in beneath him and managed to fall to the ground without bashing in his head on the low stonewall._

_His sight blurred more than it should. It became difficult to breath. Shit, he had done it. He either overdosed or there had been something else in it. His body started to feel heavy, his thoughts coming slower by the minute. Just when he felt ready to pass out there was a large shadow looming over him while a second even larger form grabbed him and pulled him up._

_"Today's your lucky day, kid." Something was pushed against his lips and his jaws pried open. Some heavy and coppery liquid filled his mouth and flowed down his throat without resistance as his body was slowly giving in._

* * *

With a shiver at those memories Paul nervously lit up one of his joints and inhaled deeply. He had refrained from most drugs over the years, but smoking weed wasn't something he would quit so easily. Maybe it was just out of habit, but it still had the calming effect he needed. Not that it would do any permanent damage anyways.

"It's weird, Paul. I can't remember ever seeing Dwayne so spaced out. I mean he often does it while he is reading. But the vibes I get from him…" Paul looked at Marko and nodded, passing on the joint to his brother. He was right. Dwayne was supposed to be the calm counterpart outweighing him and Marko and levelling down David when he lost focus. Right now, there was a deep numbing sadness radiating of off Dwayne through their shared bond.

The tall dark haired vampire was staring at the moon, lost somewhere deep in his thoughts. He had thought that he had buried those memories of blood and loss so deep within himself that they would never reach the surface ever again. He could still feel the hot breath of the plaines' days on his skin. He could almost hear the horses and smell the fires spread throughout the camp.

He would never forget the day they came and slaughtered all of them.

* * *

_Colorado Territory – 1864_

_They had come without warning. White man in their uniforms, hundreds of them. He had needed a few minutes to understand what was happening when the screams started. Soon gunshots and screams had disrupted the afternoon. Naturally his first instinct had been to find his family as he rushed back to camp, abandoning the hunt._

_He dodged people and horses alike, killed a few uniformed man that tried to stop him. He found his tent empty, no sign of his family. Coming back out something heavy landed against the back of his head and the world went black._

_When he came to he couldn't move. He had been bound and was lying on his stomach next to some other members of his tribe. Mostly woman and children and some of the elders._

_He was pulled up to a kneeling position by his long hair, no chance but to follow the upward motion. He and the few remaining men where pulled aside. When he could make out his wife and daughter he managed to somehow break free, running over and falling to his knees. They were alive. That was all that mattered. However it was a short moment of relief. He was grabbed again, still struggling until a gunshot had him stop._

_The man holding the gun stepped in front of him. He didn't understand a word he was saying, while gesturing towards his family. When someone yanked back his wifes' head he lashed out again. Watching in horror as some wannabe hero slit her throat in cold blood. He trashed against his bindings, trying to get to his dying love. They yanked him back, managed to back him up against a tree and secure him there._

_A second later they shot his crying daughter, her dead eyes fixed on him._

_He didn't remember much afterwards. They slaughtered everybody still alive, didn't even bother to deliver them to the ground but left them right there for the wild dogs._

_He was the last of his tribe, bound to a tree, unable to move. The soldier with the gone stood in front of him again. A knife in his hand and an evil grin on his face. With a loud laugh he shoved the knife between Dwaynes' ribs, spreading a hot searing pain through his torso while his lungs filled with blood. The last thing he remembered was the man being yanked away from him and golden eyes that promised him eternity to seek revenge._

* * *

Marko just stood there. He wasn't going to think about his live before becoming a vampire. That he had sworn himself.

"Okay boys. Shall we? The old bat might be waiting for us." David was referring to Max, who most likely already new that they were back in town.

"You don't expect us to play happy family, do you? I mean… The cave should still be good enough to live in with some upgrades." Paul threw in hoping that David wasn't considering staying with the whole new pack. It had always been the four of them, which was the way they felt most comfortable.

"We will see how things turn out. Let's get it over with already."


	2. Happy families

Nebraska - 2009

"So I'm going to pick you up on Friday?" I nodded and smiled at my best friend. I knew Hayden since we were five and I was one of the few people who stayed with him even after his coming out. I loved him no matter what his sexual orientation was.

"Sure. Just promise me it won't be another of those 'trying to get my best friend laid' parties." He gave me a smug grin.

"You used to be so much fun, girl. You are turning 24 now and you still live with your parents. We need to get you out of the nest." I glared at him but couldn't keep it up for longer than a few seconds.

"You are the worst. But I still love you. See you on Friday, bitch." I gave him a kiss and got out of his car.

"You better be ready when I arrive. And wear something sexy, grandma!" I waved him goodbye as he sped off.

I walked down the dusty driveway towards the old farmhouse. I stopped for a moment at the paddock where two of our horses were standing in the shade, hiding from the hot Nebraska sun.

"Hey boy." The brown had trotted over and pushed his nose into the palm of my hand. He was my favourite which might be caused by the fact that I convinced my father to buy him five years ago. He started bumping his nose against my bag and I had to laugh.

"Yeah, as if I could ever hide an apple from you." I pulled out the apple and held it out to him before continuing over to the house.

Stepping onto the porch I heard distant thunder and looked back. The sky had started to darken in the distance announcing the coming storm. I left my bag next to the door and returned to the paddock. With a little more effort than usually I managed to fetch both horses and brought them back to the stables. Better to get them in know than later when it was already raining.

"Mom? Dad? I'm home!" I entered the kitchen only to find both my parents sitting at the table and watching me with a serious expression.

"What's going on here?" I asked suspicious and looked from one to the other.

"Sit down honey, we need to talk." My anxiety grew. 'We need to talk' was something my mother wasn't supposed to say on my birthday. In fact she never said it especially not with that expression on her face.

"Did I do something I don't know of yet?" I tried to joke to brighten up the mood but got no reaction to it so I fell silent again. My father let out a heavy sigh which added to the suspicion.

"No, honey. You didn't do anything. But we did…" I raised my eyebrows. Okay, no I was getting scared. What was happening here?

"This isn't easy. We should have told you once you turned 18 but we didn't know how. You deserve to know."

"Mom, you are scaring me." She had taken a hold of my hands and my dad was watching us silently.

"Honey, you are adopted. We are not your birth parents." I looked at both of them. I waited for someone to start laughing. But nobody did.

"What do you mean by adopted? You are my parents. There are pictures of me as a baby all over the house. Pictures of me growing up on this ranch. Pictures that all have you in them with me! This isn't funny. What the hell?!" I started to panic. Who wouldn't being told they were adopted on their birthday. My mother shook her head and looked at me with pleading eyes, still holding my hands tight.

"You're not joking? Why tell me now?" Both my parents looked at each other before finally my father spoke up.

"We didn't know how to tell you this, Violet. I mean… Shit. We didn't know how we could dare put you through this. You spent your entire life with us. First you were too young to understand what being adopted means. Then we decided to tell you when you turned 18. But somehow we had gotten so used to being a family, we were afraid you would walk away from us if we told you. It was selfish. But you are our daughter, no matter whose blood is in your veins." I just looked at him. Trying to process what he just told me.

"I am not mad at you. I just… Why are there so many pictures of me as a baby in hospital when I am not yours?" My parents looked at me confused by the sudden calmness of my voice. What was the point in yelling? They tried to do what was best. I knew for myself that I was taking this quite to easy. On the other hand it explained that feeling to not belong here that I got sometimes.

"We were on a list for adopting a new-born. Your real mother was a drug addict. When she gave birth to you the government took over and got you away from her as soon as possible. You were so small, so they kept you at the hospital and gave us a phone call, asking if we still were up for adopting a child. The moment I saw you I knew I would never let you go again." I could see the tears and smile on my mothers' face and I knew she meant the words.

"Do you know who my real parents are? I mean if the system took over guardianship of me there still need to be legal records of that." My father placed a birth certificate in front of me.

"This is all we have. Your mother was a woman named Regina Thompson and she lived in a small town in California. That is where we went when we adopted you." I looked at the paper in front of me with indifference. Thompson… The name felt odd. Even now that I knew what my birthmothers' name was I still expected to feel different. But I didn't. Her name meant nothing to me, it was just a name, there was no real person attached to it.

"Oh and there is this. It was in the mail this morning." I reached for the envelope he was holding towards me. I looked it over, the print saying something about 'Declining Court Santa Carla, California'.

"What is this?" I asked.

"We didn't open it but figured it must have to do something with your heritage." My father shrugged encouraging me to open it.

"Dear Miss Murdock, we are sorry to inform you of the passing of your birthmother, Miss Regina Thompson…" I continued reading and pulled something else out of the envelope, staring at it in disbelief.

"I just inherited fifty thousand dollars…" I looked at my parents with shock blown eyes.

"I… how is there so much money? I don't understand this…" My father let out another sigh.

"That is why we got you this." He pushed a plane ticket over the table. Before I could ask he continued.

"You have to go to Santa Carla. There are papers you need to sign and other official stuff you need to take care of as only living family member. You will be staying with my cousin Helena. She owns a horse farm just a little outside of Santa Carla.

And so it was decided. I was a bit reluctant to go first. We rarely spoke to my fathers' side of the family. And then there was this strange town I had never heard of before and a dead woman I didn't even know of a couple of hours again. I was still absentmindedly stroking the browns fur. It had always calmed my nerves to go out into the stables to find my favourite horse.

I didn't know what to expect and how long I would be staying in California. Little did I know that today would change my life forever.

* * *

Santa Carla – 2009

"Wow. The old Emersons' house changed quite a bit." Marko let out a whistle. The old house the Emersons lived in in the 80s had gotten an annex to both sides while staying equally in height. It was obvious that this house had been adjusted to a larger family.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's get it over with." David led them to the front porch, completely ignoring both hellhounds, which he made out to be Thorn and Nanook. He didn't even bother knocking, that would have meant he had the decency to admit being a guest.

"Max? Is that you honey? You are home early." Out of the kitchen came the woman that had almost cost the boys their lives. Not looking a day older than back then.

"Max didn't tell me you were coming back home. Anyways. Welcome home boys. It's good to see you." Lucy gave them a bright smile to which David raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah. I'm sure it's a delight to see us…" Lucys' smile faltered only the smallest bit.

"Come on in. Sit down. The boys should be home any minute now. And Star is in the living room." Their sires' mate went on as if she hadn't heard what David just said.

He looked at the others. Paul shrugged and lit another joint before strolling into the kitchen and took a look at what Lucy was cooking.

_'I am not going to sit down and talk to Star. That bitch almost got us killed.'_ Marko spoke through their bond. He couldn't get rid of the picture of Paul lying in the tub almost nothing more than bones with a bit of meat.

"Stop it." Paul had come up behind him and put his arms around his younger brother.

"You weren't looking to good yourself. It's been twenty years.

The four looked up when they heard a motorbike approaching and heavy footsteps coming to the front door. When the door opened they almost didn't recognize the young man entering, if it hadn't been for his very familiar scent. Biker boots, black pants, leather jacket and a black shirt. His hair was long but still a flowing brown mass. It was very obvious who he got inspired by.

"I'll be damned. You're back." His voice was rough and he started grinning at the four vampires.

"Shit look at that face. You maned up buddy." Dwayne was the first to approach Laddie, grabbing his face and looking him over once more.

"Yeah, and you got old, _Dad_." Dwayne barked out a short laugh and pulled the boy into a strong hug. He couldn't believe that this man was actually the little boy he had been so protective of and who he left behind when they left Santa Carla. It honoured him that he still called him Dad, it described quite well how close the two had always been.

"Man, with that face you must be quite popular with the ladies." Paul grinned and threw his arm around Laddies' shoulder.

"Oh Paul, I think you will be pretty lonely with him around now." Marko cackled and both vampires were all over each other in no time.

"That's enough! I see you didn't forget where you belong after all." Max stood in the doorway and looked at all of his 'children'. He walked past them and greeted Lucy with a short kiss.

"You could have told me they were coming. I would have prepared their rooms." The boys looked at each other.

"What rooms? We are not staying here." In less than a second Maxs' hand was around Davids' throat, pressing the vampire into the wall.

"You come to my house and you will treat my wife with respect. I know that isn't easy for you, but you will keep your damned mouth shut, boy!" David glared at Max. He still hadn't gotten over the fact that he had gone after his mate instead of first taking care of his deadly wounded children. That was one of the reasons why they left Santa Carla in the first place.

"Have I made myself clear?!" He let out a low growl as Max pushed into his mind.

"Crystal…" His knees hit the floor as Max let go of him. Dwayne was by his side immediately and pulled him back to his feet.

"Why don't you boys catch up until I am done with the food? Max, care to help me?" With a last warning glance back to the boys Max went into the kitchen, leaving the boys in the hallway. They followed Laddie into the living room where Star was sitting in a rocking chair by the window and looked at them unsure how to react.

"That's my chair. Get up." David shoved her out of the chair and slumped down with an evil grin.

"Who do you think you are?!" She snapped at him instantly backing away when he slapped her across the face.

"Watch your tongue. Who I think I am? I am the oldest and so that makes me second in command after this whole mate crap going on between Max and that woman. And that makes you… Oh. Nothing. So where is your little lost puppy? Didn't see the coward or his crappy excuse of a motorcycle." He gave Star a cold stare He could feel that she finally took the last step to becoming a full-fledged vampire. Still, whatever love or feelings he once had for the girl, her betrayal had ultimately erased all fondness he had had left for her. She was a sad example for a vampire. Weak. Too weak for eternity. Laddie on the other hand…

"Whatever. I don't care. Get your ass in the corner and shut up or do whatever. I don't care as long as you don't bother us with your presence." Star still looked at the blond vampire. She hated him so much. She was afraid of him, afraid of what he was capable of. Michael was different. He was gentle and caring. He treated her like she meant the world to her. With a scoff she turned on her heels and stormed to the basement where she had her room. She would wait down there for Michael to return from running errands.

The other boys sprawled out on the couch and the chairs or wherever they found a comfortable spot. Of course Laddie dropped down next to Dwayne who eyed the young man with as much affection as when he was still a kid.

"So what have you been up to for the last years? For always being so tiny you grew up quite tall." David smirked at the youngest family member.

"After you were gone I felt lonely and lost. Sure, Sam was still around even if it was a bit difficult for him to try and find his place in the family after Lucy agreed to become Maxs' wife. He was always kind to me and kind of filled the void of the big brother. Lucy really tried her best. I like her, she took it on herself to teach me all I needed to know as far as she could. She stayed a half just for me so she could tend to me during the days. She even got me into school, explaining to them I had some disease that often made me drowsy during the day, so I got some extra treatment in school. I waited to make my first kill until I turned 21, thought it would be better to turn at legal age considering driving licenses and so on. Some days this whole thing ere really felt like family. But you weren't here and so for me the family wasn't complete. Star and Michael mostly keep to themselves, not that it would bother me. Star was too clingy and tried to talk me out of turning when I got older. And Michael… I just don't like his whole attitude. Always the golden boy. When I finished school I started working at a workshop. The boss quickly promoted me for I was quite talented with cars and motorcycles."

"I told you, one day you would make one hell of a mechanic." Dwayne grinned and patted Laddie on the back. The brunette grinned back.

"After all I learned from the best." He leaned back and took the joint Paul was passing around.

"What about those dimwits from the comic book store? They're dead?" Marko asked with a sour expression.

"Nah, still alive. After we convinced Sam we weren't the bad once he decided he wanted to stay human. Took a little more to convince the Frogs to leave us be and talk to him again." Laddie tried to hold back a laugh which got him some questioning looks.

"We convinced their stoned mother to invite Michael into their house. We didn't do anything but dropped by one evening scaring the shit out of Alan and Edgar. Told them if they ever went after our family again we would go after theirs. Had them kill some rogue vampires that threatened our existence here over the years which kind of made them a bit more tolerant towards our pack." David nodded. He wasn't completely content with those two still being alive but maybe it would come in handy one day to have some hunters in the background.

"Ever seen your real parents again? Santa Carla isn't that big a city after all." Paul was curious. They had left Laddie on the boardwalk when he was like eight years old and later went on to set up missing persons posters of the boy they abandoned.

"Kind of. My father got himself killed in some drug deal gone wrong in 1994 I think it was. And my mother lost against cancer last week. Found out over the newspaper. So I went to their house. Wanted to make sure I got my hands on anything that had some value before they could auction off everything. That's when I found a birth certificate. Turns out I have a younger sister." The vampires looked at him interested. David just raised his eyebrows while Paul was getting quite excited.

"She hot?" Dwayne gave him a smack to the back of his head.

"Dude, not cool. She is his sister, that makes her kind of your stepsister." Paul gave him a smug grin and leaned back without taking his eyes off of Laddie.

"I don't know her. What I got from the documents she was taken away from my parents right after being born and put up for adoption. So wherever she went from there she probably doesn't even know she is adopted. And if she knows, she never tried to find her birth parents. But I am sure she got informed after Regina passed away. I don't know. I never knew I had a sister. I don't need one. I have a family with great siblings." Dwayne gave him a firm nod while Paul just winked at him.

"Boys, come to the kitchen. Dinner is ready. And wash your hands!" Lucy called over from the kitchen and the boys slowly but reluctantly made their way out of the living room. None of them wanted this happy family play and sit around the table with Max and his new family. They would have to see how things would play out. But it was for sure that they wouldn't be staying in this house, they would take up residence in the old hotel once more.


	3. Strangely familiar

"Come on Hayden! I want to hit the road before sundown." I was impatiently tapping against the steering wheel of my old pickup truck. I had convinced my parents of it being cheaper if I drove to Santa Carla by myself instead of going there by plane. They only agreed to it because I had threatened my best friend into coming with me. Actually it might have been the possible hot Californian surfer boys that convinced him.

"Gosh. You have more luggage than my entire dresser holds. We are going to deal with the official stuff concerning the woman who gave birth to me and not on clubbing vacation." I shook my head in disbelief when Hayden finally came out with two huge suitcases.

I got out of the truck and helped him get them onto the cargo area next to my single and much smaller suitcase.  
"I know, Vi. But still we will have some time to have fun and I want to look fabulous."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I cocked an eyebrow at him faking annoyance.

"Just that you have absolutely no sense of style. I know you love this whole rock star vibe but you are never catching any guys' attention by dressing like stuck in the 80s." He waved his hand over me, hinting at me waring a long black skirt and a red crop top with my wavy brown hair only held back by a red bandana.

"And there is nothing I would change about that. I don't draw attention from guys I wouldn't be interested anyways." He let out a frustrated sigh.

"You're killing me, girl! Let me put you in a white dress just once and everybody will start drooling. And you might get laid what might in fact benefit my mental wellbeing on the long shot." I gave him a playful slap.

"Get your bony ass in the truck or I am leaving you here." I climbed back behind the steering wheel and brought the engine to life. Quickly Hayden jumped in and looked at me.

"You know that I was just joking, right? There is nothing I would change about you Violet. And I for one love your style. Something not every girl could pull off as naturally as you do. So how long are we stuck in this car?"

"Since we will need to rest every once in a while we will be on the road for two or three days." I replied and shoved a mixtape saying '50 classical 80s rock songs' into the cars' stereo and cranked up the volume. It would be a long drive to California.

o-0-o

In the end it took us four days to reach Santa Carla. In the middle of crossing through Utah my pickup decided to die on us and took me almost the whole day to fix the engine. I was so glad my father taught me everything he knew about cars so I could do it myself and didn't need to wait on some hillbilly mechanic who would tell me he couldn't fix it on the side of the road and charge me a lot of money for it.

I had given Helena a call and told her we would come a day later. She told me say had some event at her sons' school so basically we would drive into town and get something to eat and try to kill some time until they were back home.

We had spent the last night in a small motel and I was glad that I got to wash of the dirt from the road. Since we would hit the town this evening I let myself get talked into dressing up by Hayden.

"You look hot. If I was into chicks…" I rolled my eyes at him and looked into the mirror. I was wearing black shorts and an old Guns'n'Roses tank top and calf high biker boots. I was fixing some light make up and stepped away into the small room.

"Okay, let's hit the road. Only a couple hundred miles left. We should make it there around five or so." Hayden gave me a smirk.

"I can't wait to sleep in a real bed again. Seriously my back is killing me. How is it even possible you are not sore from all that driving? Oh forgot, you practically live on a horseback so this is peanuts." I stuck my tongue out to him and left the room for the car.

o-0-o

"Finally. I'll let my Mom know that we are here and then we can find something to eat." Hayden nodded as I pulled into the parking lot. Helena had told us that if we wanted to kill time we should head for the boardwalk.

"Hey Mom. Just wanted to let you know that we made it to Santa Carla. Yes we will get something to eat and later meet Helena. No, I didn't need a mechanic to fix my own car. Yeah. Say hi to Dad for me. Love you too." I sighed. I loved my mother but sometimes she forgot that I wasn't ten years old anymore.

"Let me guess. She is worried again?" Hayden grinned and I punched him in the shoulder.

"Come on. I am hungry." I looped my arm through his and pulled him towards the crowded entrance of the boardwalk. I already loved it. The lights, the noise, the people and the smell.

"Uuuhhh. It smells like cotton candy and old fish." Hayden made a face.

"It's the ocean dumbass. It's supposed to smell like that." I rolled my eyes and grinned at him. We walked past some rides side by side. There was just so much to look at. Oh we would so get on that old carousel after having eaten.

"So what do you want to eat? There is just so much different food." Hayden looked at me. I knew he would be fine with whatever I picked so I decided we would get some Chinese since we just had pizza yesterday.

"Let's get that to go. See how crowded this place is?" My friend nodded and I ordered fried noodles with veggies and meat for the both of us.

"Where the hell is my wallet? I had it just seconds ago." I searched through my bag with furrowed brows.

"Excuse me. I think you dropped that." I looked up straight into the face of a young man with long brown hair. He smiled down at me and I blushed a little taking my wallet from him.

"Oh. Thank you."

"Don't mention it, sweetheart." It seemed as if he wanted to say something more but was cut short.

"Are you done flirting, Laddie? Let's go!" A young man with wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes was standing a few feet from us and looked at the man in front of me expectantly. He looked at me again and gave me an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, got to go with my brother. Be careful not to lose your money again." With a wink he walked out the door.

"Oh my god. I think we need to stay here for ever." Hayden started fanning himself in an exaggerating way. I looked at him finally tearing my eyes away from the door both men just vanished through.

"Why?" I asked almost certain I knew the answer.

"Honey, we are here for like five minutes and hot boys are all over you already. Fuck dusty Nebraska I am staying here, bitch." I let out a loud laugh as I took our food and paid. That was just so Hayden.

"You know that I don't aim at getting anybodys' attention. Unlike you I don't try to fuck myself through every club. Twice." He gave me a sheepish smile while opening his take-out box.

"I have needs. And half the guys that scream they aren't gay never complained about me blowing them." I rolled my eyes.

"Eat. Before I lose my appetite." We went outside again and I tried not to spill my noodles over myself. Eating while walking was never one of my skills. The food was delicious and it was nice that my best friend occupied his mouth with something else than gossiping or complaining about my lack of social contact, as he always put it. I just didn't need or want a guy for one night. Apart from me being me which wasn't exactly anything most guys would feel attracted to. I wasn't tall, slim and blonde. I was brunette, about 5,4 tall and had a little more meat to the bones especially in my curves.

I emptied my take-out box and threw it in a bin. Hayden was still eating and so I took a look around. Even after sundown there were so many people still around, buying food and going to the rides. A loud shriek made me look left. A group of giggling teenage girls were standing on the other side of the boardwalk where the railing closed it up against the beach. All of them giggling and throwing glances towards a group of guys with motorcycles.

I huffed. I knew girls like that. They were the same wherever you went. Little wannabe models with even less brains drooling over some bad boy they could change into a man their parents would approve of. I started walking and turned around to my friend standing in the middle of the walkway.

"Hey. I'll be right back. I need a toilet." Hayden waved me off and I turned, landing face first in someones' chest and in the process ending up on my butt.

"Hey, look where you're… Well, this is a surprise." I look up as the person in front of me holds out their hand to me. Oh, shit. It was the guy from the Chinese restaurant. I took his hand a little embarrassed and let him pull me back to my feet.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled and looked at my feet.

"Seems like I make a habit of saving you." He smirked down at me and I couldn't deny that he was handsome. Something about him felt so familiar I just couldn't put a finger on what it was. I shook my head and reminded myself to snap out of it. Guys like him didn't talk to me because they had some interest in me as a woman.

"So that pretty face of yours has a name to it?" He was still smiling and I could see the gang of girls staring daggers at me behind his back.

"None that would be of your concern. Your fan club is getting jealous." I replied flatly. I didn't see a point in telling him my name. I wouldn't be here long enough anyways and I didn't expect him to remember my name by the end of the night. He looked at me a little confused.

"Did I do anything to offend you?" I shook my head, feeling more and more uncomfortable.

"Then I don't understand why you make your name such a secret unless you are wanted for murder. Which I honestly doubt. And I couldn't care less about those girls, I am talking to you right now." He crossed his arms over his broad chest and cocked an eyebrow at me.

"I don't give strangers my name. Even if they are cute. For all I know you could be some psychopath luring in innocent girls and then kill them. Besides I won't be here long enough for my name to matter." I smiled at him. I somehow enjoyed this back and forth with him, there weren't many people who didn't get annoyed with me being cocky. I flinched when he grabbed my wrist and pulled a pen out of his leather jacket.

"If your highness somehow changes her mind, give me a call if you want some fun. There is a concert by the end of the week, which should be kind of your thing judging by how you dress. Maybe I see you there. Oh, and the name is Laddie. See you around, princess." With a smirk he turned around and left me standing dumbfounded in the middle of the boardwalk.

I turned back to my best friend who was staring at me. I completely forgot that I had wanted to find a toilet.

"Did that guy just write his phone number on your hand?" Hayden looked at me wide eyed and I nodded still completely confused. Things like that never happened to me. I wanted to say something when my phone started vibrating in my pocket.

"Hey Helena. Yeah, okay. We are coming over then." I hang up and told Hayden that Helena and her husband were home now. We made our way back to my pickup, all the while staring at my palm. I just waited for the numbers there to disappear and me to wake up. I couldn't wrap my head around what had just happened. Not only did that guy actually talk to me but he also gave me his number without wanting anything in return.

* * *

"What was that all about? Wasn't that the chick from the restaurant?" Paul looked at Laddie as the boy strolled back to his brothers, completely ignoring the bunch of chicks he had wanted to talk to. He took the joint from Pauls' hand without answering and took a drag.

"Anybody home?" Paul waved in front of his face and got up close to him, only to be yanked back against the railing by Dwayne.

"Something is off about her." Laddie mumbled absentmindedly. Staring at the point in the crowd where the brunette was now disappearing with a guy who was clearly not her boyfriend.

"You think? I think the only thing off is that you couldn't get yourself in her panties." Paul cackled and earned himself a smack to the back of his head.

"Ouch! Stop doing that, Dwayne.", he complained while rubbing the back of his head.

"I'll stop the moment you stop being a pain in the ass." The tall vampire had never been one for many words. And besides David he was the only one really capable of keeping Marko and Paul in line when they threatened to go over the top with their behaviour once more. In Pauls' case he blamed all the drugs he had been doing during his mortal life and Marko was still just a teenage boy.

"I didn't intend on getting in her pants. Not all of us are always looking for sex, Paul. She ran into me if you payed any attention. There was just something about her… She is cute, yeah, but something about her felt strange. The way she smelled… Didn't smell like food. But like family. I don't know…" He took a last drag of the joint and threw it to the ground.

"Whatever you say, man." Paul chuckled and quickly jumped out of Dwaynes reach with a taunting smile.

"Let's get going. I am hungry. I bet there is better food than those dumb bitches over there." Dwayne turned without another glance towards the still salivating group of girls and made his way towards the beach. There was always a bonfire with some totally wasted runaways or some assholes nobody would miss.

Laddie followed the dark-haired vampire, trying to ignore Paul who was trying his best tonight to be as annoying as possible. Some days he would just get like that, it hadn't been any different back in the 80s.

The young vampire just couldn't get the girl out of his head. Why did he get this familiar feeling when he touched her? He was sure he never met her before, he would remember. He always remembered the pretty ones that didn't end up as his dinner.

_'Don't try too hard. Maybe she looks like somebody you knew.'_ Dwaynes' calm voice in his head distracted him a little from his thoughts.

_'I just can't shake the feeling that she isn't just some random girl passing through. I don't know, Dwayne. I never felt something like that before other than with you guys. She feels similar to you. Like family, but that makes even less sense.'_ Paul looked at both of his brothers. He knew there was something going on between them. Something they didn't want him to be part of for they shut him out of their minds.

_'Sometimes we find family in the strangest of places. We will have to just wait and see what happens. Who knows if we will even see the girl ever again. And that she feels like family can mean anything. Paul felt like it when I first found him and he is now part of the family.'_

"Can you two stop that? I feel a little left out here." Paul cut in and made a face. He hated not being part of a conversation even if he knew that Laddie would always turn to Dwayne for guidance.

"It's none of your concern. Little private chat with my son every once in a while." Dwayne put his arm around Laddies shoulder and ruffled his hair like he used to twenty years ago.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Still he is your brother same as I am. Just that you act like his father doesn't change the fact." It was clear that Paul was upset. He was still trying to find his way around this whole new pack arrangement since they were back in Santa Carla. When Marko wasn't around he felt alone, which hadn't happened in some decades. It was just that the other blonde understood him feeling left out sometimes.

"What is your problem, brother?" Dwayne had stopped right in front of him and was now blocking his way.

"Fuck you, Dwayne." He started to turn away but Dwayne caught his throat with one hand. He was older and stronger than his brother, easily overpowering the smaller man.

"I just hate this whole new pack! It was always the four of us and an barely there Max. Everything was fine. And now there are Star and Michael and Lucy. And Sam is a human and still living with us. I feel like we aren't who we were anymore. We can't go back to the cave because May won't let us, because he wants to play house. I want my freedom and my family back! Fuck the Emersons. Fuck this house. And fuck this sorry excuse of a family! We aren't anymore. We are two families forced to live together! And you and Laddie have this special bond and I feel just so jealous!" Paul was yelling the last part, his frustration now getting the best of him.

"Is that why you smoke so much weed these days? Look Paul, you could have just talked to us. If you don't want to talk to it about David, you could have come to me. WE are still a pack and we take care of each other. Yes, Laddie and I have a special relationship. But you are my brother, you matter to me. And it hurts to see you torn like that. David and I are trying to find a way out of this house. A way for this new family to work out for all our benefit." He had leaned his head against Pauls' and was looking down at him. Paul closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I am sorry. I just don't know what to do. It's eating away at me. I know you and David always looked out for us and I know that you will always have my back. I just hate it that everything is changing." He leaned against his brother, a little calmer now that he got some of it out of his system.

"Keep your head up, Paul. We will work through this. Now let's get something to eat. And cut back a little on the smoking." Dwayne pushed his brothers' head away in a friendly manner and turned back around. Laddie clapped on his shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile. Paul straightened himself and put back on his playful smile, following his brothers into the night.


End file.
